Jazz from The Pacific Northwest combines two previously unissued concert recordings from one of the greatest jazz drummers of all-time, Shelly Manne. The first recording features Monty Budwig on bass, Russ Freeman on piano, Stu Williamson on trumpet, and Herb Geller on flute and alto saxophone recorded at the Monterey Jazz Festival on October 4, 1958. The second recording features Hampton Hawes on piano, Frank Strozier on flute and alto saxophone, Conte Condoli on trumpet and guest vocalist Ruth Price on two tracks recorded at the Penthouse jazz club in Seattle on September 7 and 15, 1966. - The deluxe package includes an extensive booklet with essays by renowned archival producer Zev Feldman and label owner/producer/musician Cory Weeds, plus passages from Tim Jackson of the Monterey Jazz Festival, Charlie Puzzo Jr. From the Penthouse, and engineer/radio host Jim Wilke; interviews from musicians Jim Keltner, Peter Erskine, Ruth Price, Bill Holman and Joe LaBarbera; and rare photos and memorabilia. - New York City-born Manne rose to fame in the 1950s after moving to Los Angeles and is known as a founding father of the "West Coast Jazz" scene. He is highly regarded as one of the most versatile and talented drummers of the day performing with countless legends including Andre Previn, Sonny Rollins, Stan Kenton, Charlie Ventura, Kai Winding and many others. Manne teamed up with Previn and Leroy Vinnegar to produce the first jazz album of a Broadway score for their version of "My Fair Lady, " and he has numerous television/movie credits along with performing and composing scores. His recorded works include numerous albums for Capitol, Atlantic, Impulse!, Mainstream, Contemporary, Flying Dutchman and other international labels.

Charles Chen - Charles, Play! / Charles, Play! Showcases the joy of creation and the fun of play with a stellar band composed of Ralph Moore, Peter Washington and Kenny Washington. - Charles, Play! #is pianist Chen's debut album. The album represents how Charles approaches play: both very serious and very fun. Listeners will hear catchy compositions, danceable arrangements, & dynamic solos. Charles, Play! Showcases the joy of creation and the fun of play. The stellar band is composed of Ralph Moore on tenor saxophone, Peter Washington on bass and Kenny Washington on drums.

Brian Ho Trio Featuring Paul Bollenback And Byron Wookie Landham - Bridges This is Brian Ho's second full length recording. It features two thirds of Joey Defrancesco's original trio, Paul Bollenback and Byron "Wookie" Landham. As Brian was sitting on the B subway train coming back from recording this CD in Brooklyn, he crossed the Manhattan Bridge. He remembered all the "Bridges" he's crossed to becoming a "top call B3 organist," (Pat Bianchi, 2024.) As a second generation Chinese American whose parents do not play any instruments, he has dedicated countless hours to learning the rich history of the Hammond Organ on and off the bandstand, while simultaneously adding his own voice and influences into the music. Ho has recorded or played with incredible musicians like Azar Lawrence, Billy Hart, Troy Roberts and Gary Bartz, and featured in jazz clubs and festivals all over the world. This album showcases four of his original compositions along with six other "standards" that are reworked or arranged by Brian.

MEMENTO

FIRE WALTZ

Cory Weeds & Champian Fulton - Every Now And Then (live At Ocl Studios) - Cory Weeds and Champian Fulton travelled to OCL Studios in Calgary to record a new live, duo album in front of a rapt audience. In February of 2023 close friends, Cory Weeds and Champian Fulton traveled to OCL Studios just outside Calgary to record a new live, duo album in front of a rapt audience. Their special bond was evident as pianist and vocalist Fulton delivered sophisticated, swinging turns across a set of beautiful tunes, in conversation with Weeds at his expressive best.

APRIL

HORIZON SONG

TIME HAS CHANGED

Mike Ledonne & Groover Quartet + Gospel Choir - Wonderful / Mike LeDonne expands the sound of the quartet with the most beautiful instrument of all - the human voice by way of a 14 piece gospel choir! - Love is the organic thread that ties the repertoire together. You could say this is a love letter to my wife Margaret and my daughter Mary (pictured on the cover) to whom the title track "Wonderful" is dedicated. It is also meant to shine a particularly bright light on my daughter Mary, who is multiply disabled and truly "Wonderful". I chose the titles for their significance to my life's journey after my daughter Mary made her entrance 19 years ago - a journey that has proven to me, without a doubt, that love is the most powerful force in the universe. I can't even begin to list all the incredible things I've learned from her, but it was my love for her that led me to start the Disability Pride Parade in New York City. The idea was to bring large numbers of the disability community out for a joyous day of celebrating who and what they really are: just another diverse and beautiful aspect of humanity. I hoped that once non-disabled people saw this big party coming down the street, they would want to join it, and that is exactly what happened. Once the hang was on, barriers and divisions fell away, and the word "disability" began to be redefined. When I started out, I had no idea how to create a parade or a non-profit organization, but through Mary I found strengths in myself that I didn't know I had. When people thank me for my work creating the parade, I always tell them it wasn't me - it was Mary. Mike LeDonne

Andrea Superstein - Oh Mother / Oh Mother was inspired by Vancouver vocalist and composer Andrea Superstein's own experience as a mother. Between the trauma of birthing a baby and all of the physical changes a mother goes through, coupled with balancing a job, feeling out your new role and your place within the world: contrary to popular belief, mothering can be a very isolating experience. These dark times spurred a lot of questions that Superstein started asking. She wanted to know if the struggles she endured were universal: were they a sign of the times or just hers alone? Superstein interviewed close to 100 mothers to get at the root of motherhood. What were the common experiences, and why were people so afraid or unable to speak their truth? Based on these conversations she wrote music: some songs are one person's story, others are of the collective consciousness. Some a stark look at loss, others describe the heart-exploding feeling a parent can have towards their child. The album represents how all of these opposing feelings can coexist and shines a true light on the complicated, delicate, beautiful, traumatic and messy journey that is motherhood. As a singer "redefining jazz," Andrea is one of the most versatile voices in music today. Oh Mother is an ambitious tour de force highlighting her ever growing creativity and sensitivity as a songwriter and arranger. Expect powerful vocals, evoking the gentle and the strong, lithely navigating the colours of the emotional spectrum.

FOREST FOR THE TREES

HERE FOR A WHILE

The chromatic harmonica may look like a simple toy or a novelty but it is actually one of the most difficult of all instruments to play. Stating a bebop melody with the ease of a saxophonist has only been achieved by a small handful of jazz harmonica players, most notably Toots Thielemans and Hendrik Meurkens. For his new project 'The Jazz Meurkengers', Meurkens decided that a new swinging jazz album was long overdue so he contacted pianist Steve Ash, bassist Chris Berger and drummer Andy Watson to help him deliver the hard-bop groove of Winton Kelly, Jimmy Cobb and Wes Montgomery. The album features four standards, five Meurkens originals and special guests Ed Cherry and Nick Hampton.

FORWARD

New York based Canadian Bria Skonberg is a Juno award winning triple threat trumpeter, singer and songwriter. Called the "shining hope of hot jazz" by the NY Times, Bria has performed hundreds of festivals and stages the world over including the New Orleans, Monterey, Newport and Montreal Jazz Festivals. Described as "one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation" - 'What It Means' is a return to what first inspired Skonberg: the sounds of New Orleans jazz. Recorded at Esplanade Studios during Mardi Gras of 2023, Bria is joined by an ensemble of established veterans and up and coming talent, including master Crescent City drummer Herlin Riley. This collection tells stories of life lessons that range from upbeat to down-to-earth to emotionally deep, all the while exhibiting both her mastery of the trumpet and her soulful and undeniably connective voice. Traditional jazz excursions such as "Petit Fleur" and "Elbow Bump;" a hard bop take on the Sonny & Cher hit "The Beat Goes On;" a duet with NOLA notable Gabrielle Cavassa on Van Morrison's "Days Like This;" a heartfelt dedication to her new child, John Lennon's "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy);" these and so many other tracks show how with her seventh studio album, Bria has solidified her artistry, mastering her signature style as one of the most distinctive artists in jazz.

Steve Ash - You And The Night / For NYC based pianist Steve Ash, the trio is the ultimate format for creative expression. On his new album for Cellar Music, Ash partners with bassist Harvie S and drummer Alvester Garnett, two valued musical associates who bring a wealth of experience and vibrancy to the recording. Recorded in Ash's living room, with Harvie S expertly engineering the session, 'You And The Night' eschews studio standards. Yet the music offers a crispness and clarity to rival those productions.

Miki Yamanaka - Chance / Incommensurable pianist Miki Yamanaka returns with her first classic piano trio record. The album was recorded at the historic Van Gelder Studio. 34-year old Japanese-born pianist Miki Yamanaka has called New York City home since 2012 and in the past decade has wasted no time establishing herself as one of the leading personalities of her generation on the piano and beyond. Critics laud her "light, expressive touch and solidly crafted, mainstream approach" - Mike Jurkovic (All About Jazz), while audiences delight in not only her playing, but her vibrant personality as well. Yamanaka has gained international recognition from her albums as a leader. She returns to Cellar Music with her first classic piano trio record. The album was recorded at the historic Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, with her working NYC trio of Tyrone Allen on bass, and Jimmy Macbride on drums.

CENTER OF GRAVITY, LIVE AT SMALLS

BIEN ENSEMBLE

Dayna Stephens - Closer Than We Think / 2019 Down Beat Rising Star of the Tenor Saxophone - Dayna Stephens is also globally recognized as a composer, arranger and educator. His new album 'Closer Than We Think' ruminates on how similar we really are. Stephens has chosen a set of songs that speak to our core as conscious beings regardless of origins. It features a new quartet with Emmanuel Michael, Kanoa Mendenhall and Jongkuk Kim.

SMOKE IN THE SKY

STEPPING STONES

HITTIN' IT

Grammy Award winner and Academy Award nominated Pianist/Composer Roger Kellaway, has recorded more than two hundred and fifty albums. He's worked with everyone from Ellington to Elvis, Joni Mitchell to Barbra Streisand, and Quincy Jones to Yo-Yo Ma. Kellaway is not only a major pianist, he is a composer of protean ability, writing in the music fields of jazz, classical and pop, also scoring for films and television. The 9th album in the Smalls Living Masters series finds Kellaway in the company of Jay Leonhart on bass, Dennis Mackrel on drums and with special guest Roni Ben-Hur on guitar.